


D2: Abandon

by PuzzledHats



Series: AxG Week 2013 [2]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-05
Updated: 2013-08-05
Packaged: 2017-12-22 13:03:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/913530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PuzzledHats/pseuds/PuzzledHats
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anonymous asked puzzledhats:</p>
<p>I'm kind of enamoured with the Joe Dempsie in military uniform for Southcliffe and I got stuck watching soldiers returning home to surprise their families and it just made me think what an Arya and Gendry surprise reunion would look like and how she would react</p>
            </blockquote>





	D2: Abandon

**Author's Note:**

> To the Anonymous person who left me this prompt, I am sorry. Your prompt drove me a little bit crazy:) No joke, this is the fourth attempt at writing it. Honestly, I just couldn't do it justice. Because I know what videos you're talking about and they always leave me teary eyed and happy. My writing, in the end, can not do justice to that kind of emotion. But I did try!
> 
> So whoever you are, thank you! And please keep sending prompts, I love them!

Arya had stopped doing double takes, resigned to the fact that she saw his face everywhere.

The first time had been just a few short weeks after his deployment had begun, on the street. She had sworn it was him, running, jumping on his back. The complete stranger turned around with a look of horror on his face. Arya had apologized, lamely explaining her actions. She reasoned she probably needed more sleep. She hadn’t been getting much; the bed felt too big, too cold.

The second time had been at the train station. She had been waiting to pick up Sansa when she caught a glimpse of familiar dark hair and broad shoulders. She didn’t hesitate that time either, running toward him pulling him back by his arm. When the man turned, brown eyes met her grey in confusion. She told herself it was a mistake anyone could make. She just missed him, that’s all.

She was more careful after that, taking time to breathe before she made a move. A measure that turned out to be affective, she hadn’t tackled a single stranger again. But that didn’t prevent the utter feeling of sadness that washed over her when she did do a double take, only to realize it wasn’t him. He wasn’t there in the flesh; wasn’t there for her to hold onto. Wasn’t there to tell her it would be okay.

She stopped looking twice, stopped looking once if she could help it.  The disappointment too profound to deal with on a daily basis.

Arya had stopped checking the calendar, stopped looking at clocks. Even gone so far as to remove the wall clocks from their apartment. The tick-tock, tick-tock at night was too loud in the silence. Much too loud for one person to endure.

When Gendry had announced that he was getting deployed to Iraq, she had taken it the best she could. After all, she had known when they started dating that it was a possibility. She had smiled, kissed him and asked just how many care packages he would be expecting. Then he had told her the deployment would be for a year and maybe they should take a break. He could never ask her to wait for him.

He hadn’t expected her enraged reaction, quickly taking it back when she managed to come up with five totally new ways to insult his intelligence. He had pulled her into a bear hug, whispering that they would get through it together.

And for the most part, she thought she was coping fairly well. Especially if she could figure out how to not see his face on every black haired man she saw. Her family tried to fill in the spaces. Sansa regularly invited her over for dinner, Bran regularly took her out for beers. She looked forward to each email, call and video chat she got with him. She never told any of them just how bad it was, though she could see they all had their suspicions. She briefly thought about seeking professional help, but decided having another person confirm how crazy she was didn’t sound like the best use of her time.

She was Arya Stark; she always had things under control.

So she did _not_ notice the Gendry look alike in the parking lot at the Farmer’s Market. She certainly did not see him buying tomatoes in an army uniform. And she most definitely did not see him sitting on a bench, eating an ice cream cone in the same uniform.

But three ‘sightings’ in a half hour period was a bit much even for her. She decided to cut her shopping trip short, thinking maybe she should visit Sansa so they could go over her care options. Because clearly she was losing her mind.

“What’s a guy got to do to get noticed around here?” Asked an all too familiar voice behind her, as she slid her bags in to the back seat of her car.

She froze, thinking this time she had really lost it. Hearing voices was never a good sign.

“Arya?” The voice asked with real concern.

She turned then, and there he was. Right before her. Or at least she thought it was him. Her mind had been playing tricks on her for too long. She didn’t move, just looked at him, willing reality to catch up, not wanting the heartache when she would inevitably blink and he’d be gone.

“Arya,” he said, his mouth lazily forming in to a smile.

_Fuck it,_ Arya thought. She ran then, straight at him leaping at the last second, fully expecting for him to be nothing more than a figment of her imagination.

He caught her. He was there, he was real and he was laughing.

“I’ve been trying to get your attention for the last thirty minutes. Thought for sure you saw me eating the ice cream,” he laughed, holding on to her tightly.

She pulled back then, began kissing every inch of his face. Quick pecks all over until she got to his mouth. She had every intention of shoving her tongue down his throat, but when she felt his familiar lips against hers, she tasted salt. She pulled back expecting to see him crying.

“You’re crying,” he said. “I’m here there is no reason to cry.” 

But he was wrong about that. There were plenty of reasons to cry. Everything she had been keeping at bay, every minute she had missed him. So she cried, big gasping tears in to his shoulder. He held her, rubbing her back until she had cried it all out.

“I missed you,” she finally said, pulling back to look him in the eye.

“I missed you too,” he said.

“Do not ever leave me again,” she said sternly. “I do not do well with abandonment.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“Now take me home, soldier,” she laughed. “Let me show you just how much I’ve missed you.” 


End file.
